Apple: Crash Bandicoot most downloaded paid app on App Store

As part of a promotional celebration for its one-billionth App Store download, Apple has revealed the twenty most downloaded iPhone and iPod Touch applications in both the free and paid categories.

Games represent 30 per cent of the free and 70 per cent of the paid apps listed, and the data appears to represent total install base numbers from the App Store's debut in July of last year to present.

The most downloaded paid app is Activision's Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D, a racing game that was among the first applications available during the App Store's launch over nine months ago. At USD 5.99, this game - along with Sega's Super Monkey Ball - is also the most costly app on the list.

Other popular titles on the list are Pangea's Enigmo, PopCap's Bejeweled 2, Freeverse's Moto Chaser and Flick Fishing, and Electronic Arts' Tetris, among others.

The most downloaded game in the free category is Tapulous' Tap Tap Revenge which, like Crash Bandicoot, has been available since the App Store's launch. The title is the fourth most popular free app overall, behind Facebook, Google Earth and Pandora Radio.

Among the other games on the free list are Namco's Pac-Man Lite, FlipSide5's Touch Hockey: FS5, Codify AB's Labyrinth Lite Edition, and SGN's iBowl.

Apple's list differs in some ways from a similar list released by comScore last week, which claims that Tap Tap Revenge is the most popular overall app.

When contacted for comments, comScore vice president of corporate communications Jaimee Steele told GamesIndustry.biz two possible reasons for discrepancies - first that comScore looks at overall install base as opposed to download numbers, and second that comScore's data extends only through February of this year.

"We count people, not the number of applications," said Steele."[Apple] might count something twice if there's an update, for example. We might only see that once."